The Oxbow, from Thomas Cole to Alfred Hitchcock, anexhibition of new landscape paintings imbued with personal and local histories relating to the sites depicted is open at Marlborough London until July 28. The exhibition coincides with The National Gallery’s survey of 19th Century English-born American painter Thomas Cole, a rare chance to see Cole’s epic works, most of which are traveling from America, including his masterpiece ‘The Oxbow’.

Cole continues to fascinate and inspire Stephen Hannock and his own interpretation of The Oxbow has become the artist’s signature motif. Hannock’s multi-layered approach to painting includes the landscapes of Cole, the stage-like settings of the pre-Raphaelites, and the sweeping panoramas and mis en scène in the films of Alfred Hitchcock.

Hannock describes his approach to image-making as ‘kidnapping vistas’ which take on new forms and atmospheres through his painting. He is drawn to the way mood is composed within the work to create a story that is literally written into the fabric of the piece. Personal texts woven into the geological strata of his paint contribute to this layered effect and have become critical to the finished image.

Stephen Hannock’s work can be found in public collections throughout the United States, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, the Whitney Museum of Art, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Yale University Art Gallery, and numerous other collections.